Forest Industries 



-^^ 



— ^^ 



Ot these, 35 were large mills, 157 were medium- 

 sized, and 5,008 were small. 



The large mills cut from 5 million to 25 million 

 or more board feet each, the average being about 

 1 1 million feet. Typical large mills employ 50 to 

 100 men, including mill workers, yardmen, dry-kiln 

 men, and shipping force. Most mills operate year- 

 round. 



The typical medium-size mill produces from 1 

 million to 5 million board feet per year, the average 

 being 2 million. It has a Diesel, gas, or electric 

 power plant to drive a circidar headsaw, has a 

 planer, edger, and cut-off saw, and employs a cre\v 

 of 15 to 25 men. 



The typical small mill produces less than 1 

 million board feet per year, the average being about 

 120 thousand board feet. It is operated in the open 

 or under partial shelter, has a light to mediimi 

 circular saw, and in most cases little or no secondary 

 equipment. It has a crew of 3 to 15 men, and 

 operates on a short seasonal schedule, usually a few 

 weeks in spring or late fall. 



Large mills are declining in number and output. 

 Compared with 10 recorded in Minnesota in 1929, 

 only 4 were found in 1947. Of 47 active in Wiscon- 

 sin in 1929, only 11 remained in 1947, and several 

 have shut down subsequently. Of 30 in Michigan 

 in 1929, 20 remained in 1947. The large mills in 

 1947 produced only one-fointh as much lumber as 

 those in 1929 (fig. 28). Moreover, only one-fourth 

 of the remaining mills have control of sufficient 

 stimipage to continue large-scale operations beyond 

 1960. Thus, further sharp drops in production 

 from this group are to be expected. 



Medium-sized mills have replaced some of the 

 closed large mills, and some entirely new operations 

 have been installed to utilize aspen and other second- 

 growth timber. Minnesota had only 10 medium- 

 sized mills in 1929, but had 30 in 1947. Wisconsin 

 had 18 such mills m 1929, 57 in 1947. Michigan 

 had 12 in 1929, 70 in 1947. Combined production 



31 



NEARLY 5,800 wood-processing plants oper- 

 ate in the Lake States (table 21.) These 

 employ approximately 130,000 persons for 

 varying periods, pay direct salaries and wages of at 

 least 100 million dollars, and turn out products 

 worth close to three-quarters of a billion dollars 

 annually. 



Sau'tniUs 



At the peak of the industry in about 1889, Lake 

 States sawmills produced approximately 10 billion 

 board feet of lumber. In subsequent years lumber 

 production steadily declined to a low of about 



i one-half billion feet annually during the depression 

 years of the 1930's. During the decade 1939-48 the 



|| annual cut has averaged about 1.1 billion feet. 



i| Michigan accounted for about 45 percent of the 



lumber cut in the Lake States during this period. 



The region has more than 5,400 sawmills, and 



approximately 5,200 were active in 1947 (table 21). 



Table 21.— Primary timber-processing plants and persons 

 employed. Lake States region 



I'KOCESSING PLANTS 



Item 



Region 

 total 



Minnesota 



Wisconsin 



MichiKiiii 



fsawmilk 1 , , 



Number 



5,200 

 147 

 418 



Number 



1,525 

 17 

 64 



Number 



1,776 



74 



237 



Number 

 1,899 



Pulp and paper 1 ._ 



Other mills, 1946= 



56 

 117 



Total .. 





5,765 



1,606 



2,087 



2,072 







PERSONS EMPLOYED 



Sawmills' . . 



1 Pulp and paper ' 



Other mills, 1946 ' 



26, 700 



35,400 



6.400 



61.500 



7,300 

 5,500 

 1,100 

 14,700 



9, 300 

 18,000 



2.100 

 20, 300 



10, 100 



11,900 



^.200 



Woods operations ^ .. 



26, 500 







130,000 



28,600 



49, 700 



51,700 







' From Census of Manufactu 

 - Lake States Forest Experin- 



rers: 1947. 

 ent .Station 



MC24A ar 

 estimates. 



d MC26A. 





Forest Resources of the Lake States Region 



